THE AGRICULTURAL GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES. 17 



H. Brewer on " Pasture and Forage Plants." In the following statement I have often 

 availed myself of some items from it. 



The term " bunch grass" has been applied to several kinds, and we will name those 

 prominently known : 



The FtsUica scahrdla is the one best known on the Pacific slojje, ranging from Cali- 

 fornia to Oregon and Idaho. 



The Fesittca occidenUdh is also found there. 



The Festuca ovina (or sheei^ grass) in several varieties is found through the whole 

 region of winter grazing, and seems the world over to be found wherever sheep graze. 



Eriocoma cuspidata is one of the valuable bunch grasses generally prevalent. 



Of the grasses termed *' grama '' Fragrostis poceoides and Eragrostis oxi/Jepis are called 

 grama grasses. The former in Texas is sometimes called one of the buffalo grasses. 



Munroa squarrosa, Mr. Brewer says, is a buffalo grass of the north, and one of the 

 grama grasses of Texas. Calamagrostis longifoUa has a wide range and is sometimes 

 called "niesquit" and grama grass, and Calamagrosiis canadensis, sometimes called 

 " blue joint.'' 



The terms ''gama" and ''grama'" are not interchangeable. Mr. Brewer says that 

 Trijjsacum dacitjloides is the "gama grass" of the South — a tall, coarse grass, from 3 to 

 T feet hisrh — and is found from Texas to Illinois and Connecticut. 



Though much confusion of names is in popular use in reference to all the grasses it 

 seems to be admitted that the term " buffalo grass "' is applied most justly to BiicMoe 

 dacfyloides. It is one of the most nutritious of grasses and pervades the whole range 

 of the Rocky Mountain plateaus. 



The following is the letter of Dr. Vasey, referred to iu the preceding 

 paper : 



Dear Sir : In reply to your request I offer the following remarks on the native 

 grasses of the great plains and arid poitions of the West. These grasses furnish the 

 chief resource of the immense herds of buffaloes and the vast droves of domestic ani- 

 mals which feed upon the plains, and from the habit of growth are, for the most part, 

 known by the name of bunch grasses. They are chiefly grasses of rigid aspect, at least 

 as respects their culms and leaves, some of them, however, forming a diff'use and ele- 

 gant panicle of flowers. The most important of the bunch grasses may be briefly 

 mentioned as follows : 



Of the genus Stijja there are several species. St'qm comata and Stijja setigera occur 

 abundantly in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and the drier regions of California, reach- 

 ing to Oregon. In Colorado, Kansas, and all the prairie region northward, stretching 

 into British America, the Stipa juncea is the principal one of the genus. On the higher 

 plateaus and near the mountains the Stipa viridula is very common, extending from 

 Arizona to Oregon and British America. Somewhat related botanically is Eriocoma 

 cu>^pidata, a very rigid bunch grass with a fine, handsome panicle of flowers. It is 

 eciually widespread with the preceding. Another widely-diffused grass is Aira caespi- 

 tosa, varying much in size and thriftiuess according to the altitude and amount of 

 moisture where it grows, but always having a light, elegant, spreading panicle of 

 silvery-gray flowers. 



One of the most extensively-diff\ised grasses is Koeltria cristata, varying in height 

 from one foot to two and a half feet, with a narrow and closely -flowered spike. Sev- 

 eral species of fescue grass (Festuca) are intermixed with the vegetation in varying 

 X)roportions ; the moit important of these are probably the Festuca ovina, in several 

 varieties, and Festuca scahreUa, the latter especially in California, Oregon, and Wash- 

 ington. 



The genus Calamagrostis furnishes several species, which contribute largely to the 

 vegetation of this region. They are mostly tall, stiff', and coarse grasses, but leafy, 

 and some of them very nutritious. Of these Calamagrostis sylratica and C. stricta are 

 2218 GR 2 



